According to Matthew Vachon of Le Nouvelliste, the Trois-Rivieres Lions will be without defenseman Kirby Proctor until at least the beginning of November, who suffered an undisclosed injury, which would rule him out until for the first five games of the regular season. For the Lions, Proctor’s injury now opens up another spot on the blueline for one of the three defensemen who came to camp on a PTO. This is a big loss for the Lions to open up the season, as Proctor was expected to be a key part of what will be a very young blue line in Trois-Rivieres. It will be interesting to see how the loss affects the Lions out of the gate to start the season.
The 23-year-old defenseman played three games with the Lions at the end of the regular season and played in all six Kelly Cup Playoff games for Trois-Rivieres. Prior to joining the Lions, he would spend a year in the AJHL with the Bonnyville Pontiacs, putting up five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in 55 games before heading to the USHL. Proctor then spent a year with the Des Moines Buccaneers, where he put up a goal and 17 assists for 18 points in 60 games. The Lloydminster, Alberta native would then take the NCAA route, spending five seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he put up 17 goals and 34 assists for 51 points in 172 games and would lead all Maverick defensemen in goals (7) during his final year of eligibility.
